Delivering Value (Not Just 'Savings') (BravoSolution, Spend Matters EU/UK) December 12, 2pm ET Procurement may have warmed up to the idea that we need to deliver value beyond savings, but what about the rest of the enterprise? In this webinar, Peter Smith will provide advice for bringing senior stakeholders on board and reconsidering spend categories in terms of goals and metrics. Supplier...

In particular I would like to thank: Magnus Lind and Susanna Bondeus , with whom I wrote Finance Unleashed: Leveraging the CFO for Innovation . The book, published by Palgrave, will officially be in print any day now and we sold out in pre-order status on Amazon. Although I won’t meet Magnus in person until next week (look out world!) he reminds me on a daily basis how much we...

Let’s start with audits. When selecting a supplier, a thorough audit process is a vital first step. Ask yourself: is my audit process as good as it can be? Am I conducting this audit myself or using a reputable third-party firm that follows internationally accepted criteria? Trust the process but at the same time, if your ‘gut’ tells you something is amiss, go back and re-audit....

Step 1: Be Proactive One of procurement’s greatest strengths is the ability to be proactive. With hurricane season occurring around the same time each year, the United States can anticipate and prepare. Procurement contracts take weeks or months to process and implement, so taking advantage of the quieter seasons to pre-order inventory and store essential supplies is a must. Before n...

Actual Volumes vs. Allowance + Overages For the ease of budgeting, or to simplify the maintenance component of an MPS program, an allotment/threshold of print volumes may be included in the monthly lease cost or as a defined monthly service cost in the MPS agreement (we’ll call this the allowance). These copy allowances typically include a defined volume of B&W (black and white) ...

Lease vs. Buy : Over the past few years, the clients I have worked with on MPS initiatives have been split roughly 50/50 in terms of those that lease vs. buy their copier fleets. Many companies have a marginal mix of the two models. Stakeholders may default to finance or accounting when reviewing these options or simply continue what has been done in the past, but when it comes to lease vs...

Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Pros

This book, co-authored by BMP Editor Kelly Barner, provides procurement professionals with the process, skills, and resources to develop a supply market intelligence program that delivers value to the organization as a whole.

Procurement at a Crossroads: Career Impacting Insights

This latest book from BMP Editor Kelly Barner examines the 10 major questions regarding procurement’s role in the enterprise and how we are at a crossroads that will shape the future of the profession.

Twitter @BuyersMeetPoint

RT @ATSCblog: Luckily for demand planners, the reliance on "gut feelings" and the hope for a Christmas miracle can be supported by technolo…

Recently we had a discussion with Brian Daniels, CEO at Spend Radar. This is the continuation of an conversation we had with Rod True, COO, in February 2010, giving us an update on the direction of their organization and elaborating on new offerings.

This was an energetic and informative interview. We would like to thank Brian for taking the time to speak with us. Spend Radar is a growing organization with comprehensive capabilities in their product line. They are a company to put on your ‘watch list’ and invest the time to determine if their offering can fit a need in your organization.

A few years ago, Spend Radar’s client base was predominantly comprised of global organizations in excess of $5B in sales with multiple systems. Now they are finding that smaller companies with the same issues are part of their target market. Spend Radar’s smallest client is a $4M regional bank and the largest is a fortune 100 company. Their clients are in many industries such as life sciences, financial services, health and technology.

Brian outlined the progress with full ‘Spend Execution’. He is very excited about this offering and feels it is taking spend analysis many steps forward. It is in the beta stage and will be able to help companies make decisions looking forward instead of the classic approach of reviewing historical data. The plan is to roll out on a limited basis in the Summer of 2011. There are many reporting features and alerts that will frame areas of non-compliance and track savings and spend.

Spend Radar has successfully implemented Project Excellence: a formal implementation methodology that is structured and consistent. The Spend Radar staff goes through a certification process leveraging internal and external training and that focuses on delivery methodology, quality, meeting expectations and problem solving.

SpendZen Spend Radar’s blog and has generated a great deal of excitement and activity. They utilize it to showcase both clients and associates. The blog following continues to grow and enhances interaction with current and potential clients.

We asked Brian if he noticed any change in their clients’ behavior due to the events in Libya and Japan. He has found many are looking for alternative methods and sources for products and freight costs. Companies are trying to continue their businesses utilizing alternative suppliers if necessary.

Spend Radar is continuing to expand globally with clients in 15 countries. In the coming year they will be focusing on the domestic and international opportunities including those in Europe and Asia